Playing Ball
by Starchains
Summary: Xanxus comes with Timoteo to visit the Sawadas.


Tsuna was nervous. His papa was coming home today, and Mama had spent the entire day whirling around the house cooking and cleaning. Tsuna had tried his best to help, but Mama had sent him outside when he knocked over a bottle of the nasty-smelling cleaning stuff. He decided that today was going to be a pink ball day. The pink ball had been a present from his next-door neighbour and it was the bounciest ball Tsuna had ever had. Last time Papa had visited, he had tried to take the pink ball away and give him a blue one instead. It had been the first time Tsuna had ever thrown a tantrum. He knew it was naughty, and he normally tried hard to be good for Mama, but he didn't care! The blue ball wasn't nearly as bouncy as his pink ball, and the pink one was his. Mama had sent him to his room, but Papa had given the pink ball back.

Tsuna bounced the ball and caught it. If he bounced it too hard, the ball ran away and he couldn't catch it, but if he wasn't hard enough, it didn't bounce back high enough. The most bounces he had ever managed in a row was six lots of ten, and three more. He knew that if he could manage ten lots of ten, he could get a wish. He didn't know what he would wish for. He knew that he should wish for his Papa to be home, so Mama would be happy, but he didn't like his Papa very much. He was loud and scary and made a mess which Mama just laughed at. Mama made Tsuna stand in the corner when he made a mess like Papa did. And he was always drinking the funny water which gave Tsuna a tummy ache and made his head hurt. So what else could he wish for? Someone like a Papa, someone who would help him and teach him and stop the other kids from making fun of him. Or a best friend who would play with him and go on adventures and not laugh at him when he was afraid.

He was on his third lot of ten bounces when he heard the doorbell ring. That had to be Papa.

"Tsu-kun!" Mama called. "Come and see your Papa!" Yep, he was right.

Tsuna stowed his pink ball safely under the deck and went to his Mama. To his surprise, his Papa wasn't the only one standing in the hallway. There was a man who was even older than Papa, and a big boy who scowled furiously. Tsuna hid behind Mama's legs. This was scary; he didn't like strangers at all, and the big boys were the ones who always made fun of him.

"Come and give your Papa a hug!"

Papa grabbed Tsuna in a bear hug and spun him around a circle. Tsuna pouted. He had to let Papa know that he wasn't happy to be here, without letting Mama find out, or she would get upset. That meant he couldn't laugh, even when Papa tickled him.

"This is my Boss, Timoteo, and his son Xanxus," Papa told Mama, talking over Tsuna's head. "Xanxus wanted to see Japan, because he's never left Italy before."

The older boy – Xanxus, what a funny name. It sounded like the kind of name a cartoon character would have – scowled and glared at Papa when he said his name. The old man, Timoteo, said something in a strange language.

"Xanxus doesn't speak very good Japanese," Papa laughed.

He put Tsuna down, and he ran back outside. He would much rather spend time with his pink ball than with the strangers.

He had managed to accidentally throw his ball into the tree when Xanxus came out into the garden. He was jumping for the lowest branches, hoping that he would be able to pull himself up and climb the tree, but he wasn't tall enough. He yelped as he heard the older boy snort behind him.

He looked scary, with red eyes fixed on Tsuna. But he was taller than Tsuna, maybe he could help? Gathering up all his courage, Tsuna smiled at Xanxus.

"Could you get my ball out the tree, please?" he asked. Xanxus just kept staring at him.

Right! He didn't speak very good Japanese. "My ball," he said, pointing to where it was stuck. "Please?"

Xanxus rolled his eyes and shoved Tsuna out of the way. He blinked back tears as he fell on the ground. He had thought that maybe the other boy would be nice, but he was just mean!

Just then, his pink ball landed beside him. Tsuna looked up and saw Xanxus in the tree. He jumped down, landing in a crouch like an anime character. He was so cool, and he had helped! Maybe they just acted differently in Italy? He grabbed Xanxus' arm as he made to walk back inside.

"Thank you! My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said.

"My name is Xanxus. It's nice to meet you, Soona..Tuna…t-soo…Yoshi," the boy replied. His accent was incredibly thick, and he couldn't pronounce Tsuna's name, but that was OK! He had a nickname now, a special one just from his Italian friend.

Deciding to push his luck, he bounced the ball to Xanxus. The boy caught it, a strange look on his face. He grumbled something in Italian. Tsuna just waited patiently for him to grasp the game and bounce it back. After a moment, he did, throwing it carelessly so that Tsuna had to run after it.

Xanxus seemed to take a lot of pleasure in making Tsuna run after the ball, throwing it just out of reach. Tsuna was just about ready to stop playing with the boy and play on his own again when he actually managed to catch it! He looked up at Xanxus in shock. The older boy grinned and said something in Italian. He sounded happy.

"Good job," he said, his accent still making him hard to understand.

Xanxus had been wanting him to do well! Tsuna struggled with things that the other kids didn't, like running and riding a bike and throwing and catching. Everyone else just treated him like a baby and made things super easy, when they played at all. Xanxus had made things hard, and expected him to be able to catch up. And he had! He had caught the ball! He grinned back at Xanxus, and tossed the ball back. It was another five throws before he caught it again, and he pouted when Xanxus didn't smile at him again. He had caught the ball!

Xanxus looked at him and rolled his eyes when he refused to throw the ball back.

"Good job, Yoshi," he said.

Tsuna grinned and resumed the game. Every time he managed to catch the ball, Xanxus would smile at him and tell him 'Good job'. He was doing well! The other kids always got annoyed with him when he couldn't catch the ball, but Xanxus just waited for him to run after it.

Xanxus whirled around when he heard laughter from the living room. Timoteo and Mama and Papa had been watching them, and were laughing. Xanxus turned bright red, and scowled furiously. He threw the ball hard at Tsuna and stalked off, talking to himself in Italian. Tsuna left the ball where it was and marched inside.

"Why did you laugh at him? That was mean," he told them.

"We didn't mean to be mean, Tsuna," Timoteo told him. "It's just a pleasure to see him playing with someone else so nicely."

"Well maybe if you didn't laugh at him, he would play more!" Tsuna said. He wasn't willing to forgive them for driving away his friend.

"Don't be angry, Tuna-fishy!" Papa said. "Your Papa will come and play with you instead!"

"Don't want Papa," Tsuna said, pouting. "I want Xanxus! I'm gonna play on my own."

With that, he went back into the garden and started bouncing his pink ball. Maybe this time, he could reach a hundred.


End file.
